Pneumatically-servocontrolled, instantly-responsive floating valve, particularly adapted for underwater pneumatic guns and other uses

ABSTRACT

Pneumatically servocontrolled floating valve having high sensitivity and ease of control, even under very high pressures, mounted in a cylindrical supporting body designed to be inserted, as usual, in a compressed air reservoir, particularly adapted for use in the engagement or loading system of the shooting device of the underwater guns.

[ 1 Feb.4, 1975 Stradella et a1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PNEUMATlCALLY-SERVOCONTROLLED,

INSTANTLY-RESPONSIVE FLOATING VALVE, PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR 2,780,213 Colling et UNDERWATER PNEUMATIC GUNS AND OTHER USES Primary Examinerl-1enry T. Klinksiek [22] Filed:

Appl. No.: 308,588

vice of the underwater guns.

[52] US. Cl. 251/25 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure [51] Int. F16k 31/12 [58] Field of Search........... 91/189; 124/11 A, 11 R,

PNEUMATICALLY-SERVOCONTROLLED, INSTANTLY-RESPONSIVE FLOATING VALVE, PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR UNDERWATER PNEUMATIC GUNS AND OTHER USES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a pneumatically servocontrolled, instantly responsive floating valve, particularly adapted for underwater pneumatic guns and other uses.

It is known that, particularly in case of pneumatic underwater guns, the engagement or charging mechanism of the shooting device either of mechanical or pneumatic or valve type due to physical-mechanical reasons depending upon the high pressure which is necessary for obtaining a sufficient shooting power, makes the actuation of the trigger so hard as to cause difficulties in sighting and lack of precision in shooting. In order to avoid these serious disadvantages, we have studied a disengagement or release mechanism adapted to solve the problem thoroughly without affecting the safety features of a gun.

SUMMARY The device according to the invention is the result of said study and, besides solving the problem thorougly, it assures other advantages enabling its application not only in pneumatic underwater guns but also in other fields with similar conditions and requirements.

The device according to the invention is mainly characterised by a high sensivity and ease of actuation even under very high pressures. Its reactive operation is instantaneous so that, particularly in case of underwater guns, it affords a very high precision of shooting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The accompanying drawing shows an enlarged axial sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the figure in the drawing, the device comprises the following members:

1. rod with needle valve for sero-control;

la. threaded disc for controlling the rod with needle valve;

2. mobile sleeve, movable by the trigger device (not shown), for opening the needle valve;

3. floating mobile sleeve for holding the main valve 22 on its seat by means of spring 4;

4. helical spring, seated in sleeve 3;

5. cylindrical main body, of nylon (superpoliammide or the like);

6. toroidal sealing ring for floating piston 7;

7. floating piston with cylindrical projection having longitudinal slots 30, non return valve 14 and embedded threaded plug 29;

8. balancing spring for return of floating piston 7 after shooting;

9. openings in the periphery of the main body for passage of air between the ambient reservoir 27 and the inside of barrel 12;

10. toroidal sealing ring for disc 11;

11. fixed disc-plate assuring the correct positioning of parts in chamber l8;

12. barrel of the gun;

l3. toroidal sealing ring between disc-plate I1 and floating piston 7;

l4. non-return valve enabling the gun to be reloated (that is, the shaft to be re-inserted into the barrel) when the floating piston 7 is in its sealing position. This valve enables a gradual reloading (that is by repeated noncomplete strokes of the shaft;

15. toroidal sealing ring for valve l4;

l6. projecting rim for centering spring 8;

17. return spring for valve 14;

18. pre-barrel chamber, communicating with the ambient reservoir 27 through the passage-openings 9;

l9. chamber undergoing the pressure increase caus ing the opening of the system;

20. toroidal sealing ring for needle valve 21;

21. needle valve for passage of air into chamber 19;

22. main valve for return of the air that entered chamber 19 after shooting;

23. threaded bush for control pressure on spring 24;

24. return spring for needle valve 21;

25. toroidal sealing ring for main valve 22;

26. opening in disc-plate 11, through which the front portion of floating piston 7 moves;

27. ambient-reservoir for air;

28. ambient-barrel;

29. embedded threaded plug with toroidal sealing ring and internal tubular guide for stem of valve 14;

30. longitudinal slots in floating piston 7, through which air passes from chamber 18 into chamber 28 when piston 7 moves.

The assembly is mounted in a main supporting body 5 that, as usual, is inset in a suitable air-reservoir (not shown in the drawing).

Before describing in detail the operation of the device, it is to be noted that the drawing shows the position of the members in shooting conditions, that is when the gun is loaded; piston 7 is fixed in sealing condition, in that the pressure on the face A of piston is greater than the pressure that is exerted, through slots 30, on the inside face of the front portion of piston, whilst the pressure of the face B is zero. The pressure in the barrel is zero. Now, the operation of the device will be described.

While the spring 4 and the greater pressure on the walls of mobile sleeve 3 hold the main valve 22 in closed condition, actuation of rod 1 carrying the servocontrol needle valve 21 causes a passage of air into chamber 19, so as to balance exactly the pressures on face B and on face A. This balance is also due to communication between air-reservoir 27 and chamber 18 through the openings 9. This balance of two opposite pressures causes cancellation of both; therefore, only the pressure on the inside of the front portion of floating piston 7 will be active, causing its advance through the opening 26, with resulting immediate outflow of air through slots 30 into the barrel 28, that is the shooting. At this moment there will be a general balance of all pressures, inasmuch as the same pressure will be acting in chamber 19, in chamberl8 (that is on surfaces A and B), as well as on internal and external surfaces of the front portion of piston 7 and in the reservoir 27. Consequently, the only active action in now exerted by the spring 8 on the wall A of piston 7. This action returns the floating piston to its starting position, causing the air in chamber 19 to pass in the reservoir through valve 22 without encountering any opposite pressure due to the balance between the pressures. The only thing to be done now is to return the air from the barrel 28 into the reservoir 27, which can be easily done through the non-return valve 14 that is located on the front portion of floating piston 7.

As to safety, it is to be noted that no unintentional shooting can occur, as the differential area of the two surfaces of floating piston 7 in the pre-barrel chamber 18 is such as to assure that the thrust will be greater than on the opposite side.

The device herein shown and described, for the intended purposes in the field of underwater guns and other devices with similar requirements, can be modified or improved within the basic principle of the invention.

We claim:

1. A pneumatically servocontrolled, instantly responsive floating valve, particularly designed for pneumatic underwater guns and other uses, mounted in a cylindrical body that can be inserted in an air-reservoir, characterized by servo-control means comprising a needle valve having a control rod and threaded disc engageable on a mobile sleeve that can be actuated through a suitable mechanism or trigger of the gun, said valve being preferably mounted in a cup-shaped valve body supported by a second mobile sleeve that is submitted to the thrust of a helical spring the apposite end of which bears against the former mobile sleeve, the latter assembly being mounted at an axial hole in a transverse wall of the cylindrical supporting body, said hole opening on the opposite side into a chamber wherein the floating valve proper is mounted, the latter valve being formed by a disc-shaped piston with toroidal sealing ring and tubular cylindrical projection provided with longitudinal slots, said projection being provided at its free and with an internal non-return valve having a guide stem around which a helical pressure spring in mounted, said projection being axially slidably and sealingly movable through a hole in a disc-shaped plate with a toroidal sealing ring being fixedly mounted in the cylindrical supporting body, the outer face of said discshaped plate being adjacent to an end of the barrel of the gun, a helical spring being mounted between the piston of the floating valve and said disc-shaped plate with the aid of suitable centering and guide means.

2. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that on the side facing the servo-control needle valve it is provided with a threaded and air-tight plug having an internal tubular projection that can axially guide the stem of the non-return valve and acts as a shoulder for the return spring thereof.

3. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that it is mounted in a chamber that is provided near its end adjacent the fixed closure plate with radial openings communicating with the ambient air reservoir.

4. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that it is operatively coupled to servo-control means having, with respect to the floating opening means, a maximum reduction value, with corresponds to a maximum reduction on the basis of physicalmechanical principles of resistance to actuation of the manual opening system. 

1. A pneumatically servocontrolled, instantly responsive floating valve, particularly designed for pneumatic underwater guns and other uses, mounted in a cylindrical body that can be inserted in an air-reservoir, characterized by servo-control means comprising a needle valve having a control rod and threaded disc engageable on a mobile sleeve that can be actuated through a suitable mechanism or trigger of the gun, said valve being preferablY mounted in a cup-shaped valve body supported by a second mobile sleeve that is submitted to the thrust of a helical spring the apposite end of which bears against the former mobile sleeve, the latter assembly being mounted at an axial hole in a transverse wall of the cylindrical supporting body, said hole opening on the opposite side into a chamber wherein the floating valve proper is mounted, the latter valve being formed by a discshaped piston with toroidal sealing ring and tubular cylindrical projection provided with longitudinal slots, said projection being provided at its free and with an internal non-return valve having a guide stem around which a helical pressure spring in mounted, said projection being axially slidably and sealingly movable through a hole in a disc-shaped plate with a toroidal sealing ring being fixedly mounted in the cylindrical supporting body, the outer face of said disc-shaped plate being adjacent to an end of the barrel of the gun, a helical spring being mounted between the piston of the floating valve and said disc-shaped plate with the aid of suitable centering and guide means.
 2. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that on the side facing the servo-control needle valve it is provided with a threaded and air-tight plug having an internal tubular projection that can axially guide the stem of the non-return valve and acts as a shoulder for the return spring thereof.
 3. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that it is mounted in a chamber that is provided near its end adjacent the fixed closure plate with radial openings communicating with the ambient air reservoir.
 4. A floating valve according to claim 1, characterised in that it is operatively coupled to servo-control means having, with respect to the floating opening means, a maximum reduction value, with corresponds to a maximum reduction on the basis of physical-mechanical principles of resistance to actuation of the manual opening system. 